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Queen christens her namesake of the sea ... for second time - with video

For the first time in history a monarch gave her name to a cruise ship for the second time when the Queen christened Cunard's new liner Queen Elizabeth in Southampton today.

The Queen celebrated the arrival of a new namesake of the seas in much the same way she did the QE2 in 1969.

But there was one significant break with tradition. Instead of champagne, the Queen was invited to smash a bottle of Cunard private label Graves Rothschild white wine across the bow.

The 92,000-ton vessel arrived in Southampton to a tremendous reception on Friday and tomorrow will get a rousing sernd off her her maiden voyage to the Canary Islands.

The new Queen Elizabeth joins two other “queens” in the Cunard fleet - the Queen Mary 2 (QM2) and the Queen Victoria.

The Queen, dressed in a turquoise silk dress and wool coat by designer Peter Enrione, undertook a guided tour of the vessel with Cunard president Peter Shanks, pictured, and the ship’s captain Christopher Wells, pictured on the staircase behind the Queen.

Among the guests were Oscar-winning actor Sir Ben Kingsley, TV presenter Alan Titchmarsh, actor Robert Powell and veteran broadcaster Sir Jimmy Savile.